Southwark Park Galleries Spring 2026: Aparicio, Waszak & Large Exhibitions 2026

Key Points

• Southwark Park Galleries in Southwark, London, announces its vibrant Spring 2026 season featuring major solo exhibitions by Saelia Aparicio, Emily Waszak, and Kelly Large.​
• Saelia Aparicio’s A Joyful Parasite is a new commission using installation, sculpture, and mural drawings, exploring entanglements between bodies, environments, and care systems; originally commissioned by Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, in partnership with The Burton at Bideford, North Devon, reconfigured for Dilston Gallery with new elements responding to its deconsecrated Grade II Listed church architecture.​
• Emily Waszak’s Ancestors, Lovers, Kin in the Lake Gallery draws from Japanese rituals, grief, loss, and rural Donegal landscape; features woven works from industrial waste, personal fabrics, clay vessels, animal bones, and late husband’s medical equipment; selected via open call by Temple Bar Gallery + Studios and Culture Ireland for her debut international solo show.​
• Kelly Large’s To See More Brightly is an artist-curated exhibition and public programme examining charisma, authority, and the Anchorite tradition from her 2023 Bermondsey Bothy residency; focuses on medieval anchoresses’ voluntary enclosure, spiritual leadership via ‘squint holes’, and resistance to social norms.​
• Exhibitions run from 18 April to 5 July 2026 (Aparicio and Waszak), with Large until 31 May 2026; preview on 17 April 6-8pm; open Wednesday-Sunday 12-5pm at 1 Park Approach, Southwark Park, SE16 2UA.​
• Supported by Arts Council England, Culture Ireland, Foundation Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, and Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).

Southwark (South London News) February 21, 2026 – Southwark Park Galleries has unveiled an exciting Spring season lineup for 2026, spotlighting innovative works by London-based Spanish artist Saelia Aparicio, Irish weaver Emily Waszak, and London artist Kelly Large. The exhibitions, running from 18 April to 5 July, promise immersive explorations of ecology, personal loss, and historical resistance, drawing visitors to the historic Dilston and Lake Galleries within Southwark Park. This programme underscores the galleries’ commitment to contemporary art commissions and international partnerships.

What is Saelia Aparicio’s A Joyful Parasite About?

As detailed on the official Southwark Park Galleries announcement page, A Joyful Parasite marks a major new commission by London-based Spanish artist Saelia Aparicio (b. 1982, Valladolid), who employs installation, sculpture, and large-scale mural drawings. The work weaves narrative, science fiction, and ecological speculation to delve into “the complex entanglements between bodies, environments and systems of care”.​

Originally commissioned by the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead—where it runs until 8 March 2026—in partnership with Southwark Park Galleries and The Burton at Bideford in North Devon (opening late 2026), the installation will be reconfigured for each venue. For Dilston Gallery, a deconsecrated Grade II Listed church, Aparicio introduces a new sculptural element responding to its distinctive architecture and the park’s natural setting.

Saelia Aparicio’s recent accolades include the Generaciones 2019 award and commissions from Serpentine Galleries, with solo shows at the 36th Ljubljana Biennial (2025), MUSAC León (2022), and TURF Projects Croydon (2017). The exhibition receives support from Foundation Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, and Acción Cultural Española.​

Who is Emily Waszak and What Inspired Her Exhibition?

Emily Waszak (b. North Carolina, USA; based in Donegal, Ireland) presents Ancestors, Lovers, Kin in the Lake Gallery, an assemblage informed by “rituals of her Japanese cultural heritage, experiences of grief and loss, and the landscape of her home in rural Donegal”. With a background in industrial weaving, she blends ancient and contemporary techniques, repurposing discarded industrial waste textiles alongside fabrics of personal significance.

Her works incorporate found and natural materials such as clay ceramic vessels, ceremonial objects like animal bones, and her late husband’s medical equipment, creating poignant dialogues between loss and renewal. This debut international solo exhibition stems from an innovative open call by Temple Bar Gallery + Studios in Dublin and Culture Ireland, in collaboration with Southwark Park Galleries, generously supported by Culture Ireland and Arts Council England.

Waszak’s recent solos include ‘The Land and Others Including the Dead’ at Pallas Projects/Studios, Dublin (2024); ‘Grief Weaving’ at Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny (2023); ‘Shadow and Fold’ at Arts Itoya, Japan (2023); and ‘To Guide Shadows’ at Old Church Grangegorman, Dublin (2023), plus group shows at IMMA (2023–24) and Solstice Arts (2024).​

What Does Kelly Large’s To See More Brightly Explore?

London-based artist Kelly Large curates To See More Brightly, running 18 April to 31 May 2026, as an outcome of her 2023 residency in Southwark Park Galleries’ Bermondsey Bothy. The exhibition and public programme scrutinise charisma as “a social phenomenon structuring society and its relationship to authority”.

It centres on the Anchorite tradition, where medieval mystics—predominantly women known as anchoresses—chose permanent enclosure in ‘anchorholds’ attached to churches. Through a small ‘squint hole’, they offered “pious devotion and spiritual leadership” to communities, embodying “a practice of extreme control” yet also resistance.​

Released from gendered labour and rigid conventions, these anchoresses emerged as “wild thinkers—proto-feminists and activists” using their cells to disseminate subversive ideas that “queered the social codes” of their era [user query]. Large, Course Leader at Central Saint Martins and former RCA tutor, has prior commissions from Tate Modern, Venice Biennale, and Liverpool Biennale.​

When and Where Can Visitors Experience the Exhibitions?

All exhibitions open with a preview on Friday 17 April 2026 from 6-8pm, followed by public hours Wednesday to Sunday, 12-5pm, until 5 July 2026 for Aparicio and Waszak, and 31 May for Large. Located at 1 Park Approach, Southwark Park, SE16 2UA, the site comprises the historic Dilston Gallery and Lake Gallery.

As reported in Artforum’s Artguide, this season highlights Aparicio’s commission alongside the galleries’ broader 2026 programme, including Isabel Nolan’s later show. ArtFund echoes the Dilston focus, emphasising the work’s ecological themes.

Why is This Spring Season Significant for Southwark Park Galleries?

Southwark Park Galleries’ 2026 programme, announced on 7 December 2025, features these solos as part of three major shows, blending local, national, and international talent. Partnerships with Baltic, Burton, Temple Bar, Culture Ireland, and Bluecoat (for Nolan) amplify its reach.​

The galleries foster emerging voices, as with Waszak’s debut, while engaging historic spaces like Dilston—once a church—to dialogue with contemporary issues. Amid South London’s thriving arts scene, this season invites reflection on care, grief, and power.

What Public Programmes and Support Back These Shows?

While specifics for Large’s programme are forthcoming, her past residencies suggest interactive elements like performances. Aparicio has led programming at Open School East (2022), CA2M Madrid (2023), and EBC Bristol (2024).

Funding ensures accessibility: Arts Council England, Henry Moore Foundation, and others underwrite production. Culture Ireland champions Waszak’s cross-border narrative.

How Do the Artists’ Backgrounds Enrich the Exhibitions?

Aparicio’s sci-fi ecological lens stems from European awards and UK residencies. Waszak’s transatlantic, Japan-influenced practice personalises industrial waste. Large’s interdisciplinary approach, from Tate to biennales, probes societal structures.